Photographer's Note

The lady on the picture holds a pot full of chicha...

Chicha is a term used in some regions of South and Central America for several varieties of fermented and non-fermented beverages, many derived from maize, and similar non-alcoholic beverages. Chicha can also be made from manioc root (also called yuca or cassava), grape, apple or various other fruits. It has a pale straw color, a slightly milky appearance, and a slightly sour aftertaste, reminiscent of hard apple cider[citation needed]. It is drunk either young and sweet or mature and strong. It contains a relatively small amount of alcohol - 1-3%.

In Lima and other large coastal cities, chicha morada is prepared from purple corn (maiz morado). It is usually sweet and unfermented, and is consumed cold like a soft drink. It is even industrially prepared and sold in bottles, cans and even in sachets as an artificially-flavored powder drink.
In and around Cuzco, strawberries are added to chicha in season to make frutillada. Chicherias in the Cuzco area can be identified by (depending on the town) a flag, a bouquet of flowers, colored plastic bags, or ribbons tied to a bamboo pole sticking out the door.
In Puno, chicha can be found made from quinoa. It is very pale in color, almost white.
In Ayacucho, chicha de siete semillas is a thick, rich-tasting chicha made from maize, wheat, barley, and chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
In the town of Huanta, chicha de molle is prepared from the small, reddish seeds of the molle tree. It is very rare and perhaps the most delicately flavored chicha. The hangover from chicha de molle is legendary throughout the Andean highlands.
Mature chicha (jora chicha) is used in cooking as a kind of cooking wine, in, for example, seco de cabrito (stewed goat) and adobo.
The word "Chicha" also means an informal, popular, cheap and transient arrangement, creating the "Cultura Chicha" ("Chicha Culture"), a mix of concepts made by the immigration for people outside of Lima to Lima. For example, "Diario Chicha" ("Chicha Newspaper") refers to Peruvian yellow press and "Musica Chicha" ("Chicha Music") refers to Peruvian Cumbia.
Remains of a 1,000 year old production facility for chicha have been discovered on a mountaintop in Peru.